its very frastrating to see Africans fighting fellow African for such reasons. whats going on in the world today. lack of appriciation and respeact has skipped our culture and we are behaving like wild animals. i think we have to re-visit, our history and know that we have come from a far. this should not be the one thing to separate the African people. i feel so shamed to My fellow African just chasing me away instead of welcoming me. this has really painted a bad picture about South Africa. imagine how exemplary you have become on the African Continent. its such a disgrace for sure

i think the reason for the crime rate should not be placed on foreigners its not true.

thank you

I live not far from Alexander township and I have first hand experience of the brutality and the 'in your face' crimes committed on innocent South Africans in their homes by Zimbabweans and I fully support what is happening to them. When their own country, they behave like innocent sheeps in front of Mugabe and unleash untold terror and pain to South Africans once they leave their county!!!! these people do not attemt to steal from your house when you are not at home, but wait for you to get home so that they do not only steal from you, but hurt you as well. These are animals that you all are pleading for. To pprove my point, let the police fingerprint all of them now that they are at police staions and I bet you all, more that a good majority of them are wanted criminals!! and just like democracy, if the majority are crooks, the rest are crooks. we have not yet even begun to talk of Nigerians in Hillbrow and Berea, who onw streets that you as a South African are not allowed to walk in, imagine!!! Where are the police and the army then when forreigners are owning part of our city?? The political idiots who have so much to say now, have they done anything about Berea, Yeoville and Hillbrow? If authorities are reluctant or unable to do their jobs, ordinary people will rise up and do it themselves!! that is human nature!!

the tragedy is that as a former 'oppressed' human & would have thought you would have pity on the oppressed..the crime rate in SA is even higher than what it is in Nigeria & one just has to travel to Zimbabwe to see that even with the dire poverty - the banks etc do not have the security they have in SA & the crime started in SA way before all the refugees flooded into SA - the refugees are an easy scapegoat.. & how is it that the mines employ so many of their workforce from outside SA??? - they can't by law pay them less, is it possible locals don't want to do the hard work that other africans are will to do - I can just imagine Bill Cosby & oprah shaking their heads in saddnes that people cannot pull themselves up & instead blame others for their woes - pls where is your sense of humanity? I'm so sad Nelson has to see this after his amazing forgiveness...I am ashamed to be South African - these people helped you during the Apartheid years & sheltered SA' exiles...

have you considered the repercussions of your actions to your economy, reputation etc. You were to host 2010 world cup dont you see that might be in problems? Do you think people will visit south africa during those games knowing that they might be attacked because they are foreign?

Dear God, I thought I found refuge in South Africa but I was wrong. The right refuge is in Jesus Christ our saviour. I pray that you forgive South Africa and its people. They are killing foreigners and chassing weman and children out of their home because they are ignorant. You are the one who blesses a Country and give wealth to its people, because gold and silver belong to you. Please, help us as to leave together as sons and daughters of one Father. Forgive those who have follen in the hands of South African in the name of XENOPHOBIA and remember their families and comfort them in the name of your Son Jesus Christ. You are the God of poors and homeless... "The Devil is a lier"

I completely disagree with my fellow South Africans! Foreigners in South Africa are NOT the cause of the high crime rate - most of the violent crime is committed by locals. The blame must go squarely on the shoulders of Thabo Mbeki and his pathetic government for doing absolutely nothing for the last decade except make empty promises and playing the race card to make excuses when they don't deliver. No wonder poor and frustrated South Africans resort first to racist reactions when their 'leadership' is the first to use it. But it still does not excuse the barbarity of the thugs in olur country.

Mbeki learned his tricks from Mugabe. No wonder he does nothing about the Zim situation.

the crime comes from the SA locals -even with the political strife & poverty in Zimbabwe & mozambique, they are still safer countries to live in than SA,these 'riots' are partly an excuse to steal from their non-SA neighbours - Zimbabweans enjoyed a much better education then the SA people (mostly because the apartheid system tried to keep them downtrodden) so of course the zimbabweans get good jobs etc in SA - they are better educated!!!! & zimbabweans mostly have a fantastic sense of community & help each other out & the South Africans are jealous....(just like the jews & the ugandans & kenyans were of the indian traders in the 70's)- there is no sense of comunity in SA - its dog eat dog & tribal warfare has gone on there for years...sad sad black, white, pink or green - we are all human & nobody should treat another human (or animal) like that - isn't life hard enough without all this hatred? - mugabe shame on you -these people deserve better these are your people you are killing - you should be held responsible

I'm so disappointed by the south african citizens involved in this inhumane act upon their fellow Africans brothers, who never let them down during the Aparthied era. Zimbabwe for example was a heaven for many ANC leaders and SA students. I'm surprised by the silence of Mandela and Bishop Tutu who in the past had always been quick to condemn revenge against white oppressors. If south Africans are serious about getting back the wealth of their nation, they should compete with the White migrates, and Indians whose numbers had also triple since the end of Aparthied.Most african migrate are employed in low wage jobs,so are South Africans not going after the high paying jobs? Why is the AU so slow to act on this devilish plan which can encourage oppression on African migrates in other parts of the world. Or is it a plan to put pressure on Mugabe. What is going on?

To only think that this are the same South Africans who during apartheid were crying for the world to help them. Now they have tasted freedom they dont remember where they came from. I think the whole of Africa should boycott the World Cup and the FIFA should take it away from them. This is just disgusting, total disregard for human life. Not until South Africa realise that they have to live in harmony with other African nations then they will never progress. You wonder why they have the highest crime rate in the entire universe.

South Africa has the highest crime rate in the world precisely because of the foreigners!!!All of these people flocked to the country hoping for a better life and when they do not find work, they become easy pickings for crime syndicates and those that do not join these syndicates, go on to commit crimes anyway because they need to eat, the start enjoying the easy life and the next thing they are crime lords themselves.Let all foreigners leave the country and lets see if the crime rates won't drop!!!Business South Africa on the other hand must be blamed for this sad state of affairs. In their blind pursuit of profits, they would rather hire a desparate immigrant with no responsibilities, than help build an unemployed South African with rent, children schooling, food,etc responsibilities!! The Mbeki's administartion is also at fault here. Theyt also pursued a policy of enrichment for a few and excluded the rest of us from benefiting from this hard fought freedom. For those who think we as South African are bad, tell the same to Italy who only yesterday, have decided immigrants are not welcomed in their country!! As for the overly stated notion that we were welcomed in other African countries during the Apartheid era, this is a fallacy. We were kept in camps not fit for a dog and were constatntly harrassed everytime we left the camps without authorization. Touching any of their women was crime!!!So the good neighborliness, let everyone go back home. If Zimbabweans want millitary assistance from us, let them say so, but please don't expect ust to carry your burdens for you without you even raising a finger. You have turned into a whimp nation of africa with a whimp of a leader(Tsvangerai)who is afraid to go home and lead alll the whips from the front but would rather balme everyone on the continent for the problems in his country. All leaders suffered for trheir ideals, Mandela, Martin Luther King, ghandi,etc, why can't he? Let all the whips leave our shores for the sake of good neighbouliness, please!!!!

I fully agree with Jabu. The problem is mainly the fact that South Africa is richer than most of the other countries around us. Now everybody believes "South Africa is where the money is" and come running here thinking that life is easy here.

We have lots of poor people here and we have made good progress in world business, but lots of the benefits we received from that have gone to the millions of people who just arrived here demanding a living from their host country.

Let them go back and solve their country's problems by whatever means they can muster. If they stayed and worked towards a solution in the first place, the problem could have been solved long ago. They must remember that poverty is everywhere and the first rule of poverty alleviation is birth control. The second one is good education.

I would start by saying, "Ladies and gents, imancipate yourselves from mental slavery".

Jabu, thanx for your view, to tell a little about what you don't see in papers.

I am a Zimbabwean, born and bred there only moved to S.A so I can feed the rest of the family still in Zim to date. I have myself, experienced brutality and the hands of the Mugabe goverment, at a high school age where I broke three ribs and a deep cut above my right eye, only because, Tsvangirai still being in ZCTU(like COSATU) had called for a mass stay away so the government can shape up. but only, hell prevailed they put the army on the streets knocking on each and every door beating up every man in the house carelessly.

Ladies and gentlemen the brutality that South Africans have shown is less than what Mugabe is capable of doing hence you see us flocking into Mzansi.

About crime, South Africans, scare me for they don't have fear of spilling another human being's blood.

yes in every family there is an idiot hence amongst the crimes in S.A you find all races, but mostly Mzansi's sons and daughters.

You may kill us but your own mental, political and ECONOMICAL freedom is far from now so other than waste your ernegies on us your cheap labour fight for betta schools, fight practical skills development at your taxes expense, fight for grassroots black empowerment not this BEE thing that is only prominent in Fourways not in Shoshanguve and the like, Fight for betta housing other than these match boxes. Your government boasts of having much taxes and surplus money. but the only thing they seem to achieve is flashy life styles and bogus contracts.

please for a betta south africa, fight for practical skills development (e.g capentry, building, boiler making, jounery man courses) maybe many South Africans will know how to make their own money and employ other South Africans.

The mind is a beautiful thing but miss directed it may be a cluster bomb.

I guess you haven't seen the photos of Tsvangirai after the state police beat him up. To say he hasn't suffered is ignorant. Secondly, you clearly have never seen any of the violence that was going on in SA way before Zimbabweans starting moving there in droves. Cars were being hijacked at traffic lights at gunpoint ten years ago, so much so that a law was passed to allow people to drive through red lights at night because stopping was so dangerous.

Zimbabweans are generally more peaceful and better educated than South Africans. Blaming them for SA's violence is ignorant!

Minddumb, you are so out of context on this issue. The violence in South Africa is worse than what is going on in Zimbabwe.

Phiri, you can't grasp basic sentences. Did I say Zim violence is worse than SA? Did I even mention violence in Zim? NO. I said SA has had a problem with violence for a long time, and that shouldn't be blamed on the Zimbos who have fled there. Next time try reading the post a few times to let it sink in.

PS. calling me Minddumb when you can't even figure out a simple paragraph only makes you look all the more stupid. No more kachasu for you.

The exponetial growth in violence in post-apathied Africa, the growth in abject poverty of black South Africans, the widening in the divide between rich and poor despite that country's booming economy since aparthied sanctions were lifted and the fall in life-expectancy figures have all been pretty much ignored by mainstream media and Western governments whilst they've busied themselves with berating and demonising the government of neighbouring Zimbabwe.

For black Africans, South Africa is as bad, if not worse than, Zimbabwe. Why are the two countries treated so differently in international arenas? I say the differentiator is life for non-blacks. Whilst non-blacks are economically threatened in Zim, their prosperity is assured and increased in post-aparthied South Africa. So long as it's only black Africans that are suffering, the world doesn't give a damn. Start upsetting the status quo for non-blacks and the world suddenly grows a heart and is up in arms. Even during the aparthied era whilst South Africa was, supposedly, being sanctioned the world queued up in droves for the output of exploitive SA mining of gold, platinum and diamonds. All the sanctions one can imagine didn't stop SA from putting together nuclear weapons facilities, as deterrents, to her enemies (sic).

Mbeki cannot speak out against Zimbabwe or Mugabe because like everybody in the know, SA is no better than Zimbabwe. But it continues to enjoy good international relations and co-operation from international financial institutions. So long Zimbabwe remains the pariah in the region, the focus is away from SA where blacks suffer worse than they did under aparthied.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the situation in South Africa, the situation in Zimbabwe, the situation in southern Africa is as it has been for all of the last century; it's black and white, in my humble opinion.

Humble your opinion most definitely is.

Why, if South Africa is so much worse than Zim, are 3 million Zimbabweans in SA?

Why are these South African poor not hobnobbing it with all the billionaires in Zimbabwe?

It takes a special kind of person to claim poor black South Africans are any better off than poor blacks in Zimbabwe whilst those in the know openly state that the rich/poor divide has grown and that many blacks are worse off than under aparthied. Those special kind of people tend to spend far too much time with their heads buried in mainstream Western media, imo.

http://www.mediaisland.org/en/anti-apartheid-activist-protest-over-poverty

Jabu and Africanlover I cannot dispute you about the violence you state Zimbabweans are causing to South Africans as I do not live there, and if that be the case, then that is to be condemned. Having said that, supposing there was great political upheaval in South Africa, but better stability in Zimbabwe and you were desperate for your life, where would you seek sanctuary? Would it not be Zimbabwe? Other east African countries have been most gracious in taking in other nationals fleeing for their lives from situations similar to Zimbabwe's. I don't think it is fair to blame the raise in crime on Zimbabweans and if there is discord, I think it is because you have not been gracious. Zimbabweans are hard - working people and that is why they are getting the jobs. Even though they are being exploited by employers, they realize 'beggars can't be choosers' They need to support their families back home some how and hope their stay is temporary. South Africa has ALWAYS been notorious for its tsotsies and its high crime rate ever since when, which has now been spiraling out of control long before the arrival of Zimbabweans. Now that Mr Tsvangirai is back in Zimbabwe, I hope they will all return home as their vote is crucial.

"the rich/poor divide has grown and that many blacks are worse off than under aparthied."

So would you agree this is because of corruption, greed and poor governance?

And how about answering the question. If SA blacks are worse off than those in Zim why aren't they flocking to Zim?

Jabu, Africalover and Kjrs120, aparthied damaged your lives bigtime. Violence does not solve anything at all, you need to grow and be a people who can seat down and talk. Guys, I don't think anyone of you would want a hand layed onto your bodies let alone burning! Its wrong to do anything that hurts the flesh of somebody. There could have been some other means to ask these non South Africans out of the country than mutilating their bodies. The other guys I just want to advise you that DO NOT JOIN THIS DEVIL JABU. There are many options other than seeing blood in your streets. South Africans, one day, I mean one day, you will come to other people's vineyards. You all can assume but you don't know whats around the corner. Scratch my back and I will do the same in return. DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE THEM TO DO UNTO YOU.

Nakirwai, it is awful when a government who is supposed to protect you as its citizen turns around and brutalizes you, sending you fleeing for protection to someone else's country only to realize that you are not welcome there and more brutality is metered to you. Yes I agree, violence and abuse of any kind should be deplored and is never the answer. I hope Mugabe is unseated during the next election so that Zimbabweans can return home and lead the life that every person deserves - freedom, peace, prosperity and happiness.

Kjrs120, many thanks to you for your positive contribution towards peace. People like you can make this world a better place. It is everybody's (fair people) dream for Mugabe's regime to vacate as soon as yesterday. Soon or later it is going to pass. I hope South Africans will encourage each other in staying away from xenophobia as well as the whole of Africans. I hate violence and I do understand many poeple do agree with me. I wish peace upon the land of South Africa.

Nakirwai, what is your opinion on the return of Mr Tsvangirai to Zimbabwe? I know some people were beginning to criticize him for remaining out of the country after the first round of elections. But I think he was prudent. As I understand diplomacy, you cannot just lounge around in your home making phone calls and expect other heads of state to come to your aid especially when dealing with such serious issues as dealing with a rotten, cheating, gun tottering and blood-thirsty Mugabe. I think it is also an African custom to always approach your elders in person if you need their advice. It is very regrettable that many of his supporters suffered so much violence injury and death under the hands of Mugabe and his thugs and murderers,but even if Mr Tsvangirai had been in the country , I don't think there is much he could have done because he does not have the support of the army. In fact I think the violence and death toll would have been higher as the people would have had great euphoria and Mugabe would never have stood for it. As it has turned out the African heads of state have told Mugabe to lay off as there were widely publicized talks of an assassination plot. So now Mugabe's hoodlums are targeting Mr Tsvangirai's junior ministers. What is your take on the matter?

I am an american who has visited South Africa. It's a beautiful country and I cannot understand why people would destroy such a place. I spoke to many South Africans while I was there and I can say many of the black south africans have the same attitude as poor blacks in america. They are sitting around waiting for the government to give them something. Even with the travesty of apartheid there is nothing free in this world. Several africans I know when they came to America they actually thought there is some place that you go to get a house and car. We are the richest black people on earth and we had the same obstacles as black south africans. We have to work for these things. If you are not educated if you have no skills there is not a place in the world you will succeed.

Melcsctt: Very well said! It all boils down to attitude. If people don't have an attitude of gratitude, a sense of responsibility and respect for self and others, nothing will change in South Africa - or anywhere else for that matter. South Africans need to realize that, like everywhere else in the world, without education they will get nowhere. Many black South Africans also thought that the day after independence they would get the house and the car, only to find that that is not how things work in real life. The Rainbow government has not been able to keep its unrealistic promises of the "good life" for everyone after apartheid. It only comes through education, skills training and hard work. Unfortunately Africa has such a bitter attitude towards colonialism - not meaning that it was that kosher - but that they have not been able to build up on the infrastructure that was left in place and instead have and are systematically breaking it all down. As beautiful as the whole of Africa is, it is accompanied by great brutality. Unless they have a change of attitude, they will also self-destruct in South Africa.

Melcsctt and Diepondok, what you both stated is a fact. Kudos to both.

No wonder all comments i have read they r all about Zims and South africans,Mugabe,Mbeki, and Tswanguiray.But i can tell that Mozambiquens have suffered the most with 23 or more deaths out of 50. Millions of Mozambiquens dyed in war because of helping the ANC and it's people,the war in Mozambique was sponsered by the aptd regime of South Africa and i am expecting every Black south Afican to know this b4 killing any Mozambiquen or any other African. The reason for killing other Africans it's completly babarick,the Mozambiquen president has sayd on 3 ocasions to his people 'quote' do not retaliate to the babarians. As Mandela is married to a Mozambiquen woman,Mozambiquens are not allowed to have south African wemen? what a joke. Zimbabwe is still the bread basket of Africa,even if there's no food in the shops,no one can claim the spot.South Africa is rich but it can not feed Africa Like Zimbabwe did. The climate change have sent many countrys around the world to protest against they r gvnmt for high cost of living in May-But South Africans prefered to Kill people.Tell me Why.